Events

Graduation Showcase: FMS Stories

With technology more advanced than before, students are equipped with the skills suitable for projects in the ever-growing media industry. | Photo by Klix Photography

Managed by the graduates of 2017, FMS’ graduation showcase comes back bigger and better than the last

By Nicole Fang

With another chapter of their lives coming to a close, the 2017 graduating cohort from the School of Film & Media Studies (FMS) celebrated their achievements on 7 and 8 Apr, during FMS Stories.

FMS Stories is a showcase dedicated to exhibit the works that students of FMS have created over the past three years of their education. It is also a hotspot for companies in the media industry to pick up potential hires, as FMS students are highly sought after in the industry.

Having gained a wealth of knowledge throughout their three years, this year’s FMS graduation showcase was mainly spearheaded by the graduating cohort of 2017.

“In my year, the graduation showcase wasn’t as massive as this,” says Sonia Chew, a DJ on 987FM and also an Alumni of FMS. “Technology has really changed in the last four to five years and it’s been six years since I graduated already, so loads of things have changed, and in a good way.”

Impressed with the quality of works exhibited and of the showcase itself, Sonia went on to praise the students, having been blown away by all the different segments as “these [were] all the things that [they] used to only be able to talk about, but now it has become reality”.

The showcase was segmented into different sections, showing off the many electives and projects that students had took on during their last year in FMS.

Tiangsing Juan Elmer Palo, 20, a member of the graduating cohort and Head of Logistics for FMS Stories said: “The art direction for this year is a lot more consistent, a lot more cohesive, a lot more wholesome so it really feels like one big theme all throughout.”

Undeniably, the event had been a consistent mix of purple (the official FMS colour) and black, from its publicity on social media, to the decor at the venue. As Mr Palo has mentioned “the fact that [they] kept to [the theme: FMS Stories] so strictly throughout the whole planning process, makes for a very unified experience for each and every person that visits”.

Throughout the opening night for exclusive guests on 7 Apr, there were many exchanges of business cards and plenty of networking opportunities for the recent graduates. Clients that students have worked with, such as FRANK by OCBC, also made an appearance during the event itself.

FMS Stories was a graduation showcase that had encapsulated the three years of hard work put out by the graduates and it was a showcase that the students were proud of.

“I’m more proud of this year’s showcase as compared to the previous year’s,” says Bernice Ng Jin Xuan, 20, a 2017 graduate from FMS. “As this one’s showcasing mine and my friends work, it feels more personal.”

Ms Ng went on to recall one of her projects, Creeper, a music video made for the module Advanced TV Production, and said that it was one of the most enjoyable and least stressful shoot she has ever done.

“The whole point of graduation showcase is that when you’re there and people ask you about your work, you can recount your experiences,” says Ms Ng.

Mr Palo adds on that as a showcase meant to allow students and companies to network and link up, it has achieved one of its goals and that they are very proud that they have managed to come this far.